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The First Cat in Space with Shawn Harris!
- Feb 25
- 2 min read
During the week of February 11th, Shawn Harris, award-winning author and illustrator, spent a day at each of our five elementary schools. These unforgettable visits were possible thanks to a partnership between UA+Ed and each elementary PTO.
Elementary media specialists and teachers built excitement in their schools for months in advance. Hallways were covered with art inspired from Harris’ books and students were bursting with questions. From the moment Shawn began speaking in his many animated character voices, his books came to life. Students got a behind-the-scenes look at how characters are created and how ideas grow into books.
Harris shared a preview of his upcoming collaboration with Mac Barnett, The Future Book. In this quirky new book, people place a fish on someone’s head to say “thank you” and instead of goodbye, you say “You smell like a baby!”
Students asked Harris personal questions about his friends, pets and job. He shared a picture of his dog Honey—who appears in his stories and told the students that as an author & illustrator, he gets to sleep in every day. These personal connections made the experience even more meaningful, reminding students that authors are real people with real inspirations behind their work. One student asked Harris why he brought a guitar with him. His reply was to sing the song, Space is No Place for a Cat, which he wrote to accompany his wildly popular graphic novel series, The First Cat in Space.
Harris’ books reach readers at every elementary grade level. His honors include earning a Caldecott Honor for Have You Seen A Flower? and a Newbery Medal for The Eyes and the Impossible.
UA+Ed provides meaningful opportunities for students that are beyond the budget of the school district. Author visits are a great example of the foundation’s mission in action. It is thanks to families, alumni, community members, and businesses who generously support our mission and allow us to ignite curiosity and a love of learning.
Previous author visits supported by UA+Ed grants include: Aaron Reynolds who visited in 2025, Hanif Abdurrqib (MacArthur Fellow), Mac Barnett (E.B. White Read Aloud Award winner), Eva Kor (Holocaust survivor), Dan Santat (Caldecott Medalist and National Book Award winner), Neal Shusterman (National Book Award winner), Nic Stone (William C. Morris Award finalist), Michael Rosen (former UK Children’s Laureate), and Paul Zelinsky (Caldecott Medalist).
Thanks to the following UA+Ed Funds for supporting Shawn Harris’s visit to UA!
Class of 1960 Fund, Margaret B. and Harry H. Postle Memorial Fund,
Tremont Elementary Fund, Tesner Family Fund, Jane Stone Fund, Andy Tice Memorial Fund, Meaningful Opportunities Fund, Dave & Loretta Heigle Fund, Dugger Family Fund, Comfort Family Fund, Barrington Elementary School Fund, John and Rose-Marie Dilenschneider Great Books Fund, Bonnie Darrow Library Fund, The Wuslich/Rigney Endowment Fund
The Upper Arlington Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides access to meaningful opportunities for students that are beyond the budget of the Upper Arlington School District. Established in 1985, UA+Ed is permanently structured to fund programs and projects today and for generations to come. The Upper Arlington Alumni Association is an important part of the foundation and keeps graduates connected, engaged, and motivated to pay it forward.
